


A New Life

by AokazuSei



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Gen, ooc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-16
Updated: 2015-05-04
Packaged: 2018-01-04 20:13:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1085225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AokazuSei/pseuds/AokazuSei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hybrid, a type of pet that continues to grow in popularity. Humanoid animals that retained certain features, yet have the intelligence to act like any other ordinary person. After the urging of his pink haired friend, Akashi goes to an animal shelter, only to be interested in the one who had teal hair.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Meeting

Barks, whines, and several other calls erupted from cages, causing Akashi to grimace from the noisy atmosphere. How did Momoi manage to convince him to do this? He thought irritably as he rubbed the crease between his eyes. He sighed as he continued down the hallway, inspecting the animals in their confines. The power of human determination was something he should never underestimate.

A few days ago, Akashi had a small reunion with a few of his companions: Momoi, Midorima, Murasakibara, and Kagami. Though, he wasn’t expecting them to bring extra company. They had all brought along their hybrids, which was an increasingly popular type of pet. Hybrids were humanoid pets whom still retained animal like features such as their tails, ears, and some natural instincts. But with the right training, they could behave like any normal person.

Momoi befriended a panther hybrid and named him Aomine Daiki, who was usually lazy and spoke vulgarly. He dislikes listening to people and has a short temper; however, he is very protective of his friends and family. Aomine still retains his speed, agility, and also his ears and tails.

Midorima had recently adopted a hawk hybrid as his companion and named him Takao Kazunari. He had an easy going and positive personality and likes to get along with anyone. Due to being a hawk hybrid, he is very perceptive and likes heights.

The station where Kagami worked at takes care of a golden labrador hybrid, Kise Ryouta. Just like any other dog, Kise is very friendly towards people and becomes easily attached to those who treat him kindly, though some people complain that he whines a bit too much.

Murasakibara found a stray wolf hybrid named Himuro Tatsuya. Himuro was courteous and has a calm demeanor and is one of the few who could control the taller adult. Though, he also is prideful and dislikes losing.

Momoi noticed that Akashi still didn’t own one and constantly urged him to get one over the past few days. On the fifth day of her reminder, Akashi responded that he would go visit an animal shelter to see if he would like one. After all, having a pet is a large responsibility, and if he did decide to get one, he planned to spend some time bonding with it.

And that’s the reason why he was here now. He had heard that animal shelters had recently started accepting abandoned hybrids, so he decided to check it out first. So far, he had yet to see a hybrid as he continued walking down the hallway full of caged cats and dogs. It wasn’t until his eyes caught a silent cage that he stopped.

Was it empty? No that’s not right, otherwise it would have been filled with other strays. Peeking through the bars of the small confinement, Akashi saw a flash of teal. Cyan orbs continuously stared at heterochromatic ones. The redhead moved closer to take a better look causing the hybrid to panic and squirm deeper into its cage.

Seconds passed before Akashi moved: He entered his finger inside the cage in an attempt to coax the creature into the light. The hybrid inside made no attempt to move; in fact, it stayed in that position as if frozen in place. He didn’t know why, but he felt a certain attraction towards the hybrid inside. Maybe he’ll adopt this one, Akashi mused.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, causing Akashi to turn toward the source and the the hybrid to shift its defensive stance.

“My name is Riko. May I help you?” It was a volunteer from the shelter. She was a brunette who wore a muddy brown chewed-up apron that was bulging from all of the supplies it carried.

“I was just wondering if I could open the cage. It’s a bit hard to see what’s inside,” Akashi reasoned.

Riko looked at the cage before sympathetically saying, “I’m sorry, but that kid is easily frightened. He was born in a hybrid pet mill, and then sold to an abusive owner. He was recently transferred to this shelter, so he doesn’t feel comfortable with anyone.”

“I see,” Akashi acknowledge the hybrid’s gender. Hybrid pet mills had become a recent problem in terms of animal cruelty. They breed hybrids just for commercial use and prioritize profits over the hybrids’ welfare. They are known for unsanitary conditions and animal cruelty. Even with that knowledge, Akashi wasn’t one to give up. “I was already considering to adopt the hybrid, and I just want to see what he looks like.”

“Are you sure, sir?” She asked hesitantly. “This hybrid is also untamed, so there’s almost no way you can reason with him.”

“I’m sure. Now could you please let me see what he looks like?” Akashi pressed on. The volunteer sighed before taking a leash out of her apron and headed towards the opening of the cage.

“He’s sometimes pretty easy to miss, so I’ll attach the leash onto his collar. Then we’ll go into the behavior room over there,” She informed him as she pointed to one of the doors. “He can become a bit wild, but he doesn’t have that much endurance, so it won’t take too long.”

The cage door creaked as it opened causing the hybrid inside to be alarmed. It wasn’t until she stuck her hand inside that the boy inside cried and yowled. As he shifted out of her attempts to leash him, his body banged against the metal confines as he tried to escape. In the end, Riko successfully managed to leash him and proceeded to take him out of his cage.

Akashi watched the shelter volunteer struggle as she tried holding the boy. Now that he was outside, the redhead was able to identify the child as a cat hybrid. The boy looked no older than 10, but he was probably years younger than that; hybrids don’t age like normal people. His skin was pale, but it was difficult to make out any other interesting features when he continuously moved haphazardly.

In the corner of his eye, Akashi saw something fall, but Riko was too busy with the hybrid to notice. It was a small husky plush. She was already carrying the boy into the room, leaving Akashi outside. Despite the irrational feelings, Akashi thought it was best if he took the toy with him and so he did.

In the room, Riko was still trying to suppress the hybrid’s panic attack. Wailing loudly, the cerulean boy continued to thrash around before eventually escaping the woman’s hold and fleeing towards the safety of the corner. It wasn’t until then that Akashi noticed that the teal haired boy was dressed in only boxers.

His eyebrows furrowed in disbelief and frustration when he inspected the hybrid. Bones protruded against his skin due to malnourishment. Fading hues of purple, brown, red, and even blue garnished pale skin. There were scars of all kinds: uneven ridges made from nails scraping against skin, straight medical incisions that were professionally sewn together, and even burns which had overlapped the intense bruising. It was no wonder the boy was afraid of people.

A loud sigh caught Akashi’s attention as he turned toward Riko. “You see? He’s way too scared,” She huffed irritatedly. Well who could blame her after all of that?

“Thank you for bringing him here. Hopefully I’ll be able to bond with him a little,” Akashi thanked gratefully, earning a sigh from the older woman.

“If you’re so determined to do that, then I might have something that could help,” Riko responded. She was about to leave but turned around and addressed the redhead once more. “You know, you’re not the first who wanted to adopt him, but you’re the first to stay after seeing how unstable he is. His name is Kuroko Tetsuya, and be careful. Even though he looks older, he’s actually a baby.”

And, then she left them alone. Kuroko was restless, whimpering in fear and frantically searching for a way out, while Akashi stayed still, only observing him. Moving slowly, Akashi attempt to approach the cerulean boy and stopped the moment Kuroko flinched or tensed too much. Eventually, Akashi stood a little more than a meter away from the cowering boy.

“...Mew… uh…” A pathetic whimper escaped from Kuroko. He was about to curl into an even tighter ball, until a flash of black and white caught his attention. His eyes were immediately locked onto the plush toy. “...Mew... Meow?...”

Noticing the bluenette’s change in attention, Akashi held the stuffed husky out. “Do you want it?”

“...Mew?” Kuroko’s eyes repeatedly flitted from the redhead and the doll. Suspicious of the man before him, the bluenette’s ears continuously twitched.

“Come and take it. I won’t hurt you,” Akashi cooed gently. He stretched his arm a bit further as encouragement.

“....”

At first, Kuroko didn’t move, but with Akashi’s constant coaxing, the bluenette slowly extended his arm. Even though every sudden movement from the redhead caused the hand to go straight back into safety, Kuroko was able to outstretch his hand fully towards the toy. However, that wasn’t enough. He needed to move in closer, but he didn’t want to: it was scary.

Sensing the bluenette’s hesitance, Akashi decided to help motivate him. He took a step back.

“UWAH!” Both of Kuroko’s hands shot out instinctively, and soon he was on his hands and knees gradually crawling towards the redhead. He found the bluenette’s pursue endearing and continued the cycle all over. Whenever the moment the bluenette got closer, Akashi moved even further back, which then caused Kuroko to slowly crawl after him. It successfully got Kuroko to fear the redhead less, but what Akashi didn’t know was that it caused Kuroko to distress even more.

The bluenette was once again close to obtaining his rightfully deserved plush toy but was once again met with anguish when Akashi moved away… again. Instead of following the redhead, Kuroko just collapsed on the floor and started bawling.

This was not what he expected to happen at all. Akashi hurried to the bluenette’s side and held his shoulders in an embrace. Though, Kuroko didn’t notice him at all and continued crying. Awkwardly holding the limp boy, Akashi tried calming the bluenette down like any mother would to her wailing baby. He held the plush toy in front of the bluenette’s face, but Kuroko showed no sign of want it anymore. In an attempt to soothe the sobbing boy, Akashi tried patting Kuroko on the back, gently rocking him, he even tried using his pinky as a pacifier. All of those attempts had failed, hilariously too since Akashi was panicking.

The door opened and in came Riko with arms full with bags. Although she didn’t expect a lot of progress with their bonding, she was definitely not expecting Akashi to be holding a wailing Kuroko. “What the hell did you do?!”

“Instead of asking me that now, help me calm him down!” Akashi retorted as he changed the bluenette’s position. He continued to rock Kuroko up and down as the bluenette wrapped his arms around Akashi’s neck.

“Here, give him some of this,” She shouted as she tossed a small packet to the redhead. Akashi ripped the small bag and popped the contents into Kuroko’s mouth, successfully stopping the bluenette’s sobbing episode. Though, a few sniffles and teary eyes were still present.

Riko and Akashi gave a sigh of relief the moment he stopped. “Well, that was one heck of a bonding you two did there,” She sarcastically joked.

“... Yeah,” Now that the urgency had disappeared, Akashi inspected the wrapper. “...Vanilla candy?”

“Yep,” Riko stood a few feet away from Akashi and stared at Kuroko’s sleepy face. “I heard that he likes anything vanilla flavored.”

“I can’t believed that was all it took to calm him down,” He sighed in disbelief. Unexpectedly, Kuroko tightened his grip and began rubbing his face into the crook of Akashi’s neck before peacefully dozing off. It was barely audible, but Akashi was able to hear the boy murmur the word “mama” before snuggling closer. After all that had happened, the sleeping face of the bluenette was very rewarding towards the redhead.

“I’m glad he seems very comfortable with you,” She smiled. “So would you like to adopt him now?”

“Let’s go,” And they left the room, with Riko leading and Akashi carrying Kuroko.


	2. Kiseki no Sedai

In the car, Akashi was staring at his new family member. Sleeping peacefully in the passenger seat beside him was his newly adopted hybrid pet, Kuroko Tetsuya, who now wore old shorts and the redhead’s coat. Reluctantly, Akashi unclipped the seat belt from the boy and proceeded to carry him inside. If only he had decided to just stay in the car. 

The moment Akashi opened the door, the lights flickered on, and rainbow haired people shouted, “Welcome Home!”. However, their greeting only caused a slight frown upon the redhead’s face and a startling jump from the bluenette, who was now fully awake. 

“Eh? Akashi-kun, I thought you were going to adopt a hybrid today,” Momoi stated disappointedly.

“I did adopt one,” He replied simply. It seems that Kuroko really does have a low presence.

“Huh? Where is it then?” She asked. The others were also wondering where the hybrid was.

Takao was laughing at how clueless or blind his friends were. Pointing to Akashi, he said, “He’s right there, can’t you see?”

“I don’t see anyone but Akashi, Takao,” Midorima stated.

“Aw, did your vision worsen again?” The hawk hybrid teased, which was not welcomed at all by the green haired doctor.

“....Mew…”

“HOLY SHIT!” Kagami cursed in English.

“WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM?!” Aomine yelled. Everyone else’s reactions, with the exception of Akashi and Takao, was similar, though on a much lesser scale.

The noise on the other hand had startled Kuroko. His ears twitched as he continued to nervously stare at the strangers. “... Mew?”

“THERE IT IS AGAIN!” Kise shouted in shock. 

“What are you guys afraid of?” Takao teased. “Come on, the kid’s adorable.”

“.......mew…..”

“If this is some freaking joke, I swear-” Aomine’s swear was cut off once they saw Murasakibara walking toward Akashi.

“Ah, I didn’t see him the first time,” The purple haired pastier thought out loud. “He’s so tiny.”

It was only then that everyone decided to take a closer look at the redhead. Sure enough, with a bit more concentration, they were able to see a bundle with teal hair in Akashi’s arms.

Momoi rushed towards the two, squealing, “Awww, he’s so cute~! What’s your name?”

“His name is Kuroko Tetsuya,” Akashi retorted slightly annoyed. Kuroko slightly tensed as more people started to surround them. 

“He’s so small,” Kagami observed. 

“Well he’s still young, so that’s okay,” Himuro reasoned. 

“Maybe Kuro-chin should eat some more,” Murasakibara thought aloud as he held an unwrapped maiubo towards the boy. “Then he might grow bigger.”

“Not everyone is able to eat snacks all day and not grow diabetic,” Midorima retorted sternly.

“I can hardly smell his scent,” Aomine stated. “And he’s so easy to miss.”

“What are you talking about?” Takao smiled. “How could you miss someone as adorable as him?”

“Ne ne, can I hold him, Akashi-ichi?” Kise begged, his tail wagging erratically.

“No,” Akashi rejected immediately. Though, he was satisfied that everyone had easily accepted the bluenette. It wasn’t until Kuroko uttered a nearly silent whimper that that the redhead had noticed how tensed the bluenette was. Sensing the impending peril, Akashi instantaneously ordered, “You’re all too close. Give him some more room.”

However, they registered the command too late, and soon, a cry erupted from the teal boy. Instead of listening to the redhead, everyone swarmed the two, concerned about the spontaneous fit. 

“Ah, Tetsu-kun, what’s wrong?” Momoi asked. None of them knew what to do with a crying person. 

“What’s going on? Why is he crying?” Aomine, Kagami and Kise panicked simultaneously. 

The atmosphere was raucous and caused Kuroko to be very confused; the large amount of people surrounding him did not help calm him down but instead, made him feel worse.

“Uwah… waaaaaah… ah… hah… waah…”

“Give him some space and be quiet. He’ll calm down soon,” Akashi instructed. This time, everyone actually listened to him and observed their former captain in the process of calming the bluenette. Rocking Kuroko up and down while simultaneously patting his back reduced Kuroko’s sobs into sniffles. 

“....Un… mew…” Calming down with the help of Akashi’s soothing motions, Kuroko’s sobbing episode stopped. The cerulean boy affectionately rubbed his face against the redhead’s cheek before resting in the warm embrace. His eyes nervously flitted from one person to another.

“There, there,” Akashi patted the teal boy’s head once he noticed how frightened he still was. Turning to his companions, he attempted to explain. “Tetsuya’s been through a lot of human neglect and abuse, so he finds it frightening to meet people.”

Midorima, who was pretty much calm throughout the entire ordeal, spoke up. “I’m assuming he was born in a hybrid pet mill.”

“Eh? Wait, how do you know?” Kagami asked. 

“Just look at him,” Midorima pointed. “Akashi has been holding Kuroko for nearly 10 minutes, yet look at how Kuroko tries to minimize the amount of movement even when he’s frightened. This could have been a habit of his since cages in these mills have an inadequate amount of room to even turn around. Plus, he doesn’t even know how to speak at all, and he has the mentality of a baby. Even if he was raised in an abusive home his entire life, he would have picked up a few words at the very least. But if he was born and raised in a hybrid pet mill, there is close to no human interaction at all.”

“Actually Shintarou, it’s quite natural for Kuroko to behave this way. After all, he’s only two and a half years old,” Akashi corrected. 

“Eh?! Two and a half?” Momoi repeated in surprise. 

“Yeah. Momoi-san, you didn’t know at all?” Himuro asked. “I thought that you would have known since you know Aomine-san.”

“By the time I met Dai-kun, he was already like this,” She replied. “I just thought that hybrids grew at the same rate as people.”

“How fast we grow up depends on our breed,” Kise answered, his tail wagged happily.

“Though we can’t say the same for our mentality. Some of us take a long time developing basic skills,” Takao said, lightly hinting at the dark ganguro. 

“Oi, are you trying to start something?” Aomine growled. His tail twitched in annoyance. 

Smirking, Akashi praised the doctor. “Anyway, that was a quite impressive observation, Shintarou. It seems your vision has gotten a bit more observant even though the magnitude of your glasses has increased.”

A vein appeared on the green haired man in annoyance. Hearing Aomine snicker caused Midorima to snap at him, but a large growl interrupted the scene. Though, it didn’t stop them from insulting each other. “Was that you Ahomine?”

“It wasn’t me four eyes,” Aomine retorted back.

“With your monstrous appetite, it’s a wonder you’re not stuck in some bed from diabetes,” Midorima’s glasses started to crack from all the tension. “Seriously, who can eat 24 burgers and still want more?”

“Hey!” Aomine and Kagami objected together. 

“Calm down Shin-chan, if you get any more pissed off your glasses would break,” Takao joked. 

The doctor irritatedly turned to his companion, “You-”

Another growl resonated in the room, successfully stopping the little scuffle between the two. They all turned to each other, questioning where the actual source came from. None of them knew whom it came from, but not after a few seconds, a low grumbling occurred.

“Could it be... that the sound was coming out of you?” Akashi questioned out loud as he held the now sleeping boy. As if confirming the thought, another rumbling occurred.

“That’s strange. He’s asleep isn’t he?” Momoi asked.

“I heard that because of the poor conditions of hybrid pet mills, they aren’t fed properly and sometimes not at all,” Himuro answered. “Could he have possibly developed this reflex whenever he was hungry?”

“That is very possible. If he sleeps off his hunger pains, then it would temporarily relieve him of hunger,” Akashi explained.

“Aww, poor Kuroko-ichi. No wonder he’s so small,” Kise wondered sadly. 

Murasakibara held out an open bag of chips. “Maybe he should eat something now.”

“Yeah, let’s go get him some food then,” Kagami suggested. “I’m pretty sure he’s hungry as hell.”

“Maybe we should go eat out,” Takao offered. “I’m starting to get hungry just from hearing him growl. Besides, it’ll take way too long for us to cook enough food for all of us.”

“And we’d all surely die if Satsuki cooked for us,” Aomine retorted, earning him a smack on his head. 

“I see no problem with that,” Akashi stated, the others murmured in agreement. “Shall we go then?”

Leading the way, Akashi continued to hold a sleeping Kuroko as they walked to a nearby restaurant.


	3. Eating in Maji's

It was still mid-afternoon when a body of people with uniquely colored hair entered Maji Burger. They filled up several booths, each splitting into groups: 1) Aomine, Kagami, Momoi, and Kise 2) Midorima, Takao, Murasakibara, and Himuro, and 3) Akashi and Kuroko, who got their own due to the bluenette’s fear of strangers.

Mountains of burgers filled the entire table, accompanied with shouting and whining. Aomine and Kagami once again bought monstrous amounts of food, though it was nothing compared to what Murasakibara ate. There too, was a mountain of food on the purple haired man’s table, but it was mostly snacks.

In Akashi’s booth, Kuroko was still sleeping peacefully, despite the rumbling of his stomach. Akashi ordered an array of food, attempting to test out what other flavors the bluenette liked. After a few minutes, two hamburgers, fries, and a vanilla milkshake were presented.

Gently shaking Kuroko, Akashi tried to call the boy awake. “Tetsuya, wake up. Your food is here.”

It took a while for the teal haired boy to come to. “.... Meow?”

Akashi repositioned the bluenette in order to feed him some fries, “Say ‘aw’ Tetsuya.”

Kuroko had a strange way of eating, if it could be called that. It was as if he was unaccustomed to eating solid food: he sucked on it but didn’t bite. The process was way too slow for the redhead’s liking, so Akashi decided to let Kuroko drink the vanilla shake first. After all, vanilla was the teal’s favorite flavor.

However, there was another obstacle that came in the way. When Akashi placed the straw near Kuroko’s lips, the bluenette had no idea what to do. This was somewhat unexpected, but it wasn’t something unmanageable.

Taking the lid off of the cup, Akashi lifted the drink into Kuroko’s lips, mindful not to let the shake carelessly spill. Though, his attempt was pretty much useless the moment the bluenette took a sip.

Teal eyes literally sparkled at the delicious flavor. Taking charge, Kuroko held the cup in his hands and started chugging the drink in large gulps. A small trail of the shake ran down his chin, while drops of vanilla splattered all over his body: some on his face, some on his clothes, there was even some in his hair! Taking a napkin, Akashi started cleaning the splotches on Kuroko’s face as the bluenette tried to get the remainder of the shake.

“Uh…. mew….” His tail lazily swayed back and forth as he looked into the cup. He held out the finished drink, asking for more. “Meow?”

“I’ll get you more if you finish your food,” Akashi promised before feeding Kuroko another fry. Again, there was no chewing, only placing the entire thing whole into his mouth. _Is it possible that he doesn’t know how to chew?_ Akashi thought. “Tetsuya.”

Hearing his name being called, the bluenette turned to face the redhead. “...Meow…”

Akashi popped his finger into Kuroko’s mouth, only to have the bluenette instantly sucking on the digit. The redhead was once again correct. Though, Kuroko’s inability to bite is actually not that uncommon among humans. At around the age of 5 months, toddlers start developing a bite and release pattern with toys or their fingers, which allow them to later learn how to chew. But, there are times when infants miss parts of the development process and require some assistance. Sometimes it only took observation for toddlers to learn how to correct this, and hopefully, Kuroko would be the same.

Akashi reclaimed his wet finger and dried it on a nearby napkin. After shifting their positions once more, the redhead positioned Kuroko in a way where the bluenette could watch him. “Tetsuya, look at me.”

“Mew…” His ears twitched, and his tail idly swayed in spontaneous directions. Baby blue eyes stared at the redhead, enchanted by Akashi’s vibrant eyes. His outstretched arm was only a few centimeters away from the larger man’s face. A warm grin formed on Akashi’s face, causing the bluenette to giggle. “Mama~”

Smiling at the title, Akashi corrected the bluenette. “No, I’m not your ‘mama’. I’m Akashi Seijuro.”

“Mama!” Kuroko stubbornly persisted. Despite being a distance away, Aomine, Kise, Kagami, and Takao tried to stifle their laughter. Momoi and Himuro smiled, while Murasakibara and Midorima continued to be indifferent.

“Pfft...He called… Akashi… ‘mama’!” Aomine laughed in between breaths.

“Akashi-ichi… you’re such a…. good ‘mommy’....” Kise was dying.

“It’s just….like… a chick… imprinting… on his… mom-pfft...” Takao couldn’t finish his sentence due to his hysterical laughter.

Kagami was laughing so hard that the poor table had suffered his abusive pounding.

“Awwww, Tetsu-kun that was so cute~” Momoi squealed.

“Well I do admit Akashi-san, you do seem like a doting mother,” Himuro commented.

“Aka-chin is very much like a mom,” Murasakibara agreed.

“Well, now we know that Kuroko actually does know a word or two,” Midorima stated.

Suddenly, the room grew colder by several degrees, causing the four laughing idiots to freeze in fear. Akashi smiled, but his eyes told another story. “I’m glad to know that’s what you think about me now. I’ll show you my gratitude later.”

The four of them shivered by the redhead’s hinted promise, while Midorima scoffed at them, knowing that would happen if they messed with Akashi. They continued finishing their meal, not wanting to bring the redhead’s wrath upon themselves.

Kuroko had his thumb in his mouth as he watched the whole ordeal, giggling as Akashi tormented the others. “Mama!”

The redhead stared at the bluenette, “Seijuro.”

“Mama~”

“Seijuro.”

“Ma-Ma!” Kuroko stated with a determined look, causing the Akashi to sigh loudly. It seems he’ll need to get used to the new name.

A faint growl reminded the redhead that lunch had yet to be over. He shifted his position a bit, earning him the bluenette’s undivided attention. Bringing a fry to his mouth, Akashi stated, “This is ‘chewing’, Tetsuya.”

The bluenette watched in fascination as the redhead overly exaggerated the steps to masticate. In the corner of his eye, Kuroko saw yellow and clumsily grabbed a handful, only to stare at it in wonder. Watching the larger man chew once more, the bluenette attempted to imitate the redhead.

Opening his mouth as wide as he could, Kuroko tried to fit the handful of food into his mouth. It would have worked, if he didn’t have so much. In an unsuccessful attempt, the bluenette withdrew his hand, frowning slightly at his failure. “Mew?”

“That’s too much, Tetsuya,” Akashi grinned. “It’ll be hard to chew with that much in your mouth.”

Light blue eyes stared at the redhead, his mouth slightly open. “.... chu….”

The redhead blinked. Was he trying to speak?

“...Chuuu…” Kuroko tested the sound on his tongue, giggling since the syllable was still foreign. “Mama~.... chuuuuu…”

“Yes that’s right,” Akashi praised before taking a few fries from the small hand. “Now, chew these one at a time. It’ll be easier.”

“Chu~” Kuroko repeated before taking his first bite. He chewed slowly, but it seemed that he was getting used to the rhythm. Akashi kept feeding Kuroko another fry the moment the bluenette had finished. It was after eating about half of the fries that Kuroko uttered a whine of protest. “..uwah… Noo…no chu….”

“Come on, Tetsuya,” Akashi encouraged, holding another fry to the bluenette. “There’s only half left.”

“No chuu!” Kuroko insisted adamantly, his arms firmly crossed.

Despite the bluenette’s refusal, the redhead wasn’t upset at all. In fact, he smiled as another thought came into mind. “Tetsuya, if you finish, I’ll give you another vanilla shake.”

His ear shifted at the mention of the word, and when the bluenette turned to look at Akashi, eyes full of hopeful. “..... Van...illa..... sha… key?...”

The redhead grunted in confirmation, “I’ll give you a ‘vanilla shakey’ if you finish, okay?”

“.... o..kay…” Kuroko agreed, and Akashi continued feeding the boy.

After several long minutes of eating and protesting, Kuroko finally managed to finish all of the fries. He felt so full, but he would always have enough room for vanilla.

“Good job, Tetsuya,” The redhead praised as he placed the wrappers on the tray; he had been eating his burger while he fed Kuroko. Standing up with the tray in his hand, Akashi was about to throw away the trash and reward the bluenette. “Be good and stay here, Tetsuya. I’ll go get you your drink.”

“Vanilla shakey?” Kuroko’s ears and tail swayed happily in anticipation.

“Yes, ‘vanilla shakey’,” Akashi confirmed, before turning to his companions in the other booths. “Watch over Tetsuya for a bit. I’ll be back shortly.”

The moment the redhead had left, Kise and Momoi ran towards Kuroko’s booth, startling the poor boy.

“He’s so cute~” Momoi sighed giddily.

“I know~, I wish I could hold Kuroko-ichi,” Kise excitedly thought, before a wide grin appeared on his face. “Ne… Akashi-ichi won’t know if I hold him right?”

“Oi, Kise, are you stupid or what?” Aomine insulted.

“Eh? Why are you guys being so mean?!” He whined, his ears and tail drooped.

“Do you really think you could hide anything from that short devil?” Kagami retorted.

“It’s useless to hide anything from Akashi,” Midorima stated obviously.

“Aka-chin knows everything,” Murasakibara agreed.

“But-”

“Plus, what if he does find out?” Takao asked. “You should know how sadistic he could be.”

“I agree,” Himuro nodded. “It’ll be a very painful punishment once he comes back.”

“But Kagami-ichi, and Aomine-ichi are already going to be punished later with me, so I might as well cherish the remainder of my life happily,” Kise melodramatically cried before suddenly placing Kuroko into his hold. “Besides, I bet Kuroko-ichi won’t mind, right?”

On the contrary, the poor hybrid was petrified with fear, barely able to utter out a whimper. It was only until Kise had started petting his back had the bluenette snapped. Thrashing and screaming, Kuroko tried to escape, squirming out of Kise’s hold.

“Uwaaaah….. aaah ahh…. ah!….” All of Kiseki no Sedai tried to restrain the boy, but the outburst was too sudden for them to actually do much.

“Keep holding him down, Kise!” Aomine shouted.

“Can’t… he’s slipping,” He struggled in between breaths.

Despite all of their attempts, Kuroko had managed to escape, and he was heading outside.

“He’s heading towards the park!” Momoi yelled in alarm.

They all ran, spotting a flash of teal right before it suddenly vanished.


	4. Up High

In a park near Maji Burger, a group of rainbow haired adults frantically searched the area for a certain bluenette. 

“Where’d he go?” Kagami panicked. 

Even though they had all just seen Kuroko a few seconds ago, his low presence was a troubling thing: none of them were able to see a hint of teal anywhere. They weren’t even able to locate him until a large branch fell from a tree. Looking up in dread, they finally found him. Up in the trees, about 6 meters from the ground, was Kuroko. 

“How the hell did he get up there?!” Aomine shouted in disbelief. 

“That’s not the problem right now,” Midorima hissed. “We have to get him down first.”

“I’ll climb up first,” Kagami offered. “It shouldn’t be that bad, as long as he doesn’t keep climbing.”

“Let’s hope that he doesn’t,” Himuro commented. 

At the base of the tree, Kagami leaped and managed to grab onto a branch. The tree slightly trembled under every step he took, causing Kuroko to jolt from the sudden vibrations. Peering down, the bluenette saw Kagami climbing. Hairs in the back of his neck stood up as he watched petrified. When the man was only a few feet away, Kuroko broke out of his stupor and continued to flee upwards. 

“Shit, he’s climbing,” Kagami cursed. He tried to pursue the bluenette, but the branch had started to creak beneath him.

“Out of my way, Bakagami,” Aomine ordered. He was right behind Kagami. “You’re too slow.”

“Whatever, Ahomine,” Kagami retorted before giving way to the panther hybrid who quickly lessened the distance between the bluenette.

Kuroko paused a moment to look behind him, only to hurriedly return to his desperate climb. There was a panther hot on his trail, and the bluenette found the new person to be even more terrifying than the one before. His body burned from physical exhaustion, but fear was his major motivation.

“Kuro-chin’s still climbing,” Murasakibara stated; though beneath his passive tone, he was very worried.

“What do we do?” Momoi shouted at the others. “If he keeps going the branches might break!”

“Where’s Akashi? Maybe he knows-” Midorima stopped in the middle of his sentence when he caught something move in the corner of his eye. 

Following the green haired man’s gaze, Kise uttered, “Is that….”

“Holy crap, that’s Akashi!” Takao shouted in surprise. 

Just a few meters away from Kuroko’s tree was the said man, climbing an equally tall tree. He seemed to ease his way through the branches and quickly covered the vertical distance between the bluenette and himself. 

“What does that idiot think he’s doing?” Midorima cursed silently. Not a moment later, the doctor’s phone violently rang inside his jacket. Picking up the call, he answered, “Hello?”

“Shintarou, I’ll disregard that insult for now,” How did he even know? Midorima thought. “Anyway, tell Daiki to stop climbing: it’ll be dangerous if he continues. I can handle this myself.”

Without hesitating, Akashi hung up the phone and continued climbing the adjacent tree. Midorima, although very annoyed, followed the redhead’s instructions.

“Oi, Aomine!” Midorima yelled; the latter looked down. “Akashi says to get down. He’ll handle things now!”

“Huh? Is that so?” Aomine commented at the tiny figures below before looking back up. Kuroko was only just a few meters away, but the branches had already started to creak under the ganguro’s weight. He sighed as he gracefully descended from the tall tree. “Tetsu should have been a squirrel instead of a cat. He’s about 15 meters high now.”

Concern was etched into the blond’s face, “How is Akashi-ichi going to get Kuroko-ichi down? He’s on a different tree.”

“Who knows. All I know is that it’s probably something reckless,” Midorima stated.

“....Uh…. you guys?” Takao hesitantly called bringing their attention to the redhead in the tree.

“....Oh god…” Himuro stared in shock.

HE’S GOING TO JUMP TO THE OTHER TREE?!?! They all thought in horror. Momoi and Kise were furiously praying for Akashi’s safety, while the rest of them gaped at the scene before them.

In Akashi’s point of view, the scene below him would have been extremely comical, if it weren’t for the fact that he and Kuroko were at a dangerous height. Looking up, Akashi could see the bluenette who desperately clung onto the branch. He was still in the adjacent tree, but that would be fixed fairly soon. 

Gauging the distance with accurate precision, Akashi gracefully leaped onto the branch just a few feet below the bluenette, earning a surprised yelp above and a thump below. Curiously looking down, Akashi figured out the source of the thud: Kise had fainted. Shaking his head in disbelief, the redhead turned his attention back to the bluenette above. 

From what Akashi could see, the bluenette sported a few scratches, but there was no severe damage the redhead could detect. A few pitiful whimpers escaped as Kuroko cried. Seeing the boy in such a vulnerable state made Akashi’s heart sink, but it also caused his body to burn in anger. How dare someone mistreat Tetsuya, Akashi thought furiously.

Turning his attention back on saving the bluenette, Akashi tried to plan a route to take. There were several branches that separated him and Kuroko, but judging on how thin they were, it wouldn’t be possible for him to continue upwards. He frowned: saving Kuroko just became extremely difficult. 

Kuroko had temporarily stopped crying: there was a familiar scent close by. Opening his eyes slowly, he managed to croak, “..... mama?”

Akashi’s eyes widened before softening his features. “I’m here, Tetsuya. I’m going to get you down, okay? So don’t be afraid.”

Kuroko ached for his “mother’s” warm embrace, and so he stretched his arm downwards. “... mama…”

Kuroko’s eyes started to swell up with more tears: he was too far to reach his “mother”. Slowly pushing himself against the branch, the distance between the two began to dwindle. Akashi widened his eyes in alarm, fearing that he would fall. “Tetsuya!”

The bluenette froze for only a moment but continued on. He managed to touch the nearest branch before sliding off of his original spot. Akashi exhaled a breath of relief before watching Kuroko, who repeatedly slid off each branch. By the time he had reached the last branch, Akashi was there to welcome Kuroko into his embrace. 

Gripping tightly, Kuroko placed his head into the crook of Akashi’s neck. He was shivering softly and whimpered in the redhead’s ear. “Mama...” 

In return, Akashi held the boy in his arms in a protective hold, cooing, “Don’t worry now, I got you.”

Light blue eyes innocently stared into red and gold irises. “...mew?”

“Don’t do that again, alright?” Akashi reprimanded softly before a slight smile appeared on his face. “Let’s go down.”

Repositioning the bluenette so that he would be on the redhead’s back, Akashi cautiously climbed down the tree. Kuroko hardly moved, and he was very light, so it very difficult. In only a few minutes, they had reached the lower half of the tree, and somehow, Kuroko had managed to fall asleep in the short time span. 

“Look! He got Tetsu-kun!” Momoi exclaimed as she pointed at them.The others hurriedly crowded around her to witness the redhead’s descend. Sighs of relief could be heard from everyone as the tension on their shoulders disappeared. Kise was still unconscious. 

“It looks like Akashi-san and Kuroko-san will be fine now,” Himuro commented. 

Kagami smiled, “Yeah. That’s enough excitement for one day.”

“That was extremely reckless. Both of them could have been seriously injured,” Midorima criticized, but his tone soften as he murmured to himself. “I’m glad their safe though.”

“I heard that Shin-chan,” Takao teased the older man. “You should really stop being a tsundere.”

“I am not a tsundere,” He retorted back; a small vein popped out in annoyance. 

“You should stop denying it Mido-chin,” Murasakibara commented. 

“Yeah,” Aomine added. “You’re not very convincing anyway.”

Midorima huffed in annoyance as his reply before he turned his attention to Kise, who was now awake.

“Eh? What happened?” The blond frantically looked around before noticing Akashi and Kuroko, who were now near the bottom. “Ah! Akashi-ichi didn’t die!”

Kise shouted so loudly that everyone around him had to cover their ears. Kuroko jolted upwards just from his voice, wildly searching for the source. It was only when he looked down that the boy started to tremble in the redhead’s arms. Akashi noticing the bluenette’s sudden awakening briefly stopped in the middle of his descent. 

“What’s wrong Tetsuya?” The redhead tilted his head around in order to glance at Kuroko, who was now starting to tear up. 

Nothing but silence and a few whimpers answered his question. Kuroko gave Akashi a desperate stare before nervously looking down. Following the bluenette’s gaze, the redhead examined the area below him. They were all patiently waiting for the two of them to climb down, but there was something that quickly caught Akashi’s attention: Kise was ecstatically jumping up and down. 

Sighing, he now knew what was scaring the poor boy. Gently cooing comforting words, Akashi pet Kuroko’s head, efficiently pacifying the bluenette down and making him drowsy. “It’s going to be okay. They’re not going to hurt you. I won’t let that happen.”

After a few moments of the redhead’s soothing gestures, Kuroko was once again dozing off peacefully. Breathing out another sigh of relief, Akashi continued climbing down the tree. It wasn’t until he had reached the last few branches that a disturbance woke Kuroko once again. 

“You’re almost there Akashi-ichi~!!!” Kise shouted at them. “Be careful! Don’t fall!”

A piercing wail from the awaking bluenette caused Akashi’s foot to over step the next branch. They fell, traveling a few feet towards the ground.


	5. Mini Doctor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Edit 5/5/15: I was looking through this fic for some inspiration, and I noticed that there was a chapter missing. Here's the missing chapter.

Falling from about 2 meters high, the redhead and bluenette made contact with the floor with an “oomph”. Akashi had shielded Kuroko from the impact, but he had suffered a few scratches on the way down; blood was dripping from the cut on his cheek.

The others immediately surrounded the duo with shouts of concerns, but those were overshadowed by Kuroko’s wails. The sudden fall towards the floor frightened the boy, and the oncoming crowd was not comforting at all.

Akashi, who cringed in pain, tried to reassure Kuroko that everything was fine. And, he was successful in quieting the bluenette down, until Kuroko saw blood.

Wide eyed at the crimson liquid, a shaking pale hand traced the cut on the redhead’s cheek, staining his fingers red. He trembled, eyes filled with tears, and softly cried into the crook of Akashi’s neck. “.... Mama….”

Akashi thought nothing of it until he heard Kuroko cry, “....sorry….”

“What did you just say Tetsuya?” He continued stare incredulously at the boy as he held the bluenette in a comforting embrace.

“Mama… sorry… so so sorry mama…..” Kuroko tried to suppress his sobs, causing him to tremor in Akashi’s arms.

“Why are you saying ‘sorry’ for?” Akashi asked baffled as he repositioned himself to stare at the bluenette’s face.

“Be.. cause…..Mama… gots.. hurts…..hick… hick…” Kuroko began sobbing even more, and wailed sadly, “Mama... blood…. Tetsuya hurt mama….”

Akashi blinked in surprise. Tetsuya thinks that this was his fault, he thought. Bringing the bluenette into another warm embrace, Akashi threaded his fingers through soft teal hair in a soothing gesture. “It’s not your fault Tetsuya. I’m not hurt, so don’t cry anymore, okay?”

Kuroko tried to stifle another sob and rubbed the tears away from his eyes. His mama said to not cry anymore, and he really wanted to listen, but it was so hard. Tears continued pouring and another cry escaped.

“Shhh, it’s alright Tetsuya,” Bringing his hands onto Kuroko’s face, Akashi used his thumbs to wipe away the tears that trailed down the bluenette’s eyes. Every wave of tears would be brushed aside by his thumbs over and over, until Kuroko’s cries subsided and was reduced to sniffles.

He slightly jolted upwards as he heard approaching footsteps. His ears flickered as he stared at the approaching man with tearful eyes. Midorima, who cautiously moved towards them, stopped a few feet away from the duo. Although Kuroko squirmed and shivered beneath Akashi’s hold, his gaze did not once stray from the green haired man. In fact, he protectively tightened his embrace over the redhead.

“I’m here to help Akashi,” Midorima stated softly. The bluenette’s ears flickered when he registered the words.

“..... he..lp?” He echoed after the green haired man, tail coiling around the redhead’s leg firmly. Kuroko blinked for a few moments before he shouted hopefully. “...Help mama?”

Midorima widen his eyes slightly from surprise before his expression softened. Not a moment later, Momoi and the others crowded around them. “Yeah, we’ll help him, Tetsu-kun.”

“Don’t worry. Shin-chan’s one of the best doctors,” Takao happily added.

Kuroko only blinked at them. A hand stroked his ear, causing the bluenette to turn and face Akashi. “...Mew?”

“It’s alright,” Smiling, Akashi ruffled Kuroko’s hair. “They’re my friends.”

“....Fre….. Frend…?” Kuroko repeated curiously as he tilted his head.

“Friends are people who help you and protect you,” Akashi explained. “They can be trusted.”

“That’s right,” Himuro continued. “We’re his friends.”

“Mama… frends?” The bluenette turned to look at them. “Help mama?”

Midorima moved in closer towards the duo, causing Kuroko to protectively embrace Akashi once more. He continued to close the space between them, “We’ll take care of this idiot, so don’t worry.”

“I’m surprised you can speak such encouraging words, Shintarou,” Akashi teased, earning a scowl from the green haired doctor.

“I’m only saying that so he won’t freak out like with Kise,” Midorima retorted. “Besides, it’ll be troublesome if you had to be hospitalized and separated from this baby.”

“Meow…” Kuroko looked at him innocently.

“Ah, that reminds me. Ryouta,” Akashi’s tone was sickly sweet, laced with hidden malice. “Don’t think I forgot what happened before. We’re going to have a talk after this.”

“YES!” Kise fearfully shivered from the redhead’s threat. He’s going to die today, he thought solemnly to himself.

Midorima adjusted his glasses, “Anyway, let’s move to a bench so I can check to see if you need to go to the hospital. Can you walk?”

“Probably,” Akashi slowly stood up, careful to keep a constant hold on the bluenette. He walked over towards the bench near a basketball court, grunting as he sat at the edge. While Midorima was inspecting the redhead’s back, the others decided to crowd around them, causing Kuroko to squirm.

“Meow...” Akashi continuously petted Kuroko to calm him down. “...mew…”

His hand later traveled towards the bluenette’s ear, softly scratching the back of his ear. Leaning into Akashi’s touch, Kuroko’s eyes closed, and he purred in satisfaction.

“Aww, he’s so cute,” Momoi excitedly whispered to the others, wary that she might frighten the boy. The others nodded in agreement, with the exception of Kise, who was nervously thinking about his fate. Even Aomine agreed that Kuroko was cute, though a bit reluctantly.

Kuroko’s ears twitched as he heard faint groaning and looked up. Akashi slightly grimaced as Midorima prodded the freshly forming bruises.

“Meow?” His ears flattened as called to his mama, concerned about the pain the redhead was expressing.

“Shhh, it’s alright. It’s just some bruises,” Akashi tried to reassure the boy, but it wasn’t very convincing since he flinched once Midorima pressed against the darkening spot.

Whimpering, Kuroko tried to comfort his mama by rubbing his face against the redhead. Akashi appreciated the bluenette’s efforts and allowed the boy to do as he pleased. However, even he was surprised when he felt something wet and warm graze his cheek.

“Tetsuya, stop. That’s dirty,” Akashi reprimanded, but the bluenette continued on, determined to help clean his mama’s wound and ease the pain.

“It’s only natural for him to lick your wound,” Midorima explained. “In fact, I heard that it speeds up the healing process.”

“Meow…” Kuroko rubbed his face against Akashi’s once more, after he finished cleaning the cut.

“Oh well,” The redhead sighed in defeat and started scratching Kuroko’s ears once more.

“Purrrr…. purrrr….” Kuroko’s tail swayed happily as he relished under Akashi’s touch.

Meanwhile, Midorima finished his exam and lowered the back of Akashi’s shirt. “You’re going to have a few bruises, but it’ll heal in a couple of days.”

“I see,” Standing up, Akashi securely held onto Kuroko. “Let’s go back to my house. It’s been a long day.”

They were about to leave, but light blue ears perked up when he heard something strange. Attempting to locate the noise, Kuroko pinpointed the sound to a group of people who were bouncing an orange ball up and down.

“... Mew?”

Noticing the bluenette’s change in attention, Akashi turned to look at what had interested the boy. He smiled once he discovered what had caught Kuroko’s attention. It was basketball.

“Do you want to play basketball Tetsuya?” The redhead questioned, only to be met with silence. Kuroko was fascinated with the game before him.

“You like basketball too Tetsu?” Aomine asked excitedly.

“Basketball’s the only thing you have on your mind isn’t it,” Momoi sighed disappointedly.

Kagami was just as thrilled as Aomine. “Hey, do you think they’ll let us play a match with them?”

“Yeah! Then I can challenge you to a one on one Aominecchi!” Kise shouted. It seemed he forgot about his earlier predicament.

“Ryouta, don’t think I forgot about what you did before,” Akashi reminded him, causing the blond’s ears to flop and his tail to sag.

“Will Kise-san be alright?” Himuro asked concerned.

“I’m sure he’ll be okay,” Takao answered. “Anyway, let’s go see if we can play too.”

“It’s out of bound!”

Something collided onto Akashi’s leg: it was a basketball. Picking up the orange sphere, he turned to look at a dark haired man who was chasing the ball.

“Eh?! Izuki?!” Kagami pointed at the eagle hybrid.

“Ah, Kagami, long time no see,” Izuki smiled, looking around he added, “It seems everyone else is here too.”

“It’s nice seeing you again Izuki-san,” Himuro greeted.

“Ne, if you’re here, then does that mean Kiyoshi and Hyuuga are here too,” Takao wondered aloud. Not a moment later, the said men entered the conversation.

“Look Hyuuga, it’s Kagami,” Kiyoshi smiled.

“What are you doing here Kagami?” Hyuuga questioned him.

“Well, this guy got stuck up in a tree,” Kagami gestured towards Kuroko, who was fascinated by the orange sphere. Noticing the bluenette’s attraction to the basketball, Akashi held the ball close enough for Kuroko to touch it.

“Huh? Who got stuck up in a tree?” Kiyoshi tried looking around for who his former teammate was talking about. Seeing no one but Akashi, the man stated his thoughts seriously. “You got stuck up in the tree Akashi?”

“Pfft…” The others, with the exception of Akashi, Midorima, and Hyuuga, were trying to stifle their laughter.

“No, I did not Teppei,” Akashi answered.

Kuroko was confused about why mama’s friends were laughing. “Meow?”

“EH?!” Hyuuga and Izuki screamed simultaneously. “Where did that come from?”

Kagami, Aomine, Kise and Takao couldn’t hold it in anymore and laughed hysterically. Himuro and Momoi smiled, while Akashi, Murasakibara and Midorima remained passive. Kuroko’s ears twitched from the sudden noise.

“Ah!” Kiyoshi took a few steps closer to Akashi before leaning in. Kuroko squirmed under the brunette’s gaze. “I didn’t see you there the first time.”

“Oi, who are you talking to Kiyoshi?” Hyuuga irritatedly questioned the man.

“The cat boy,” Kiyoshi returned.

“Oh, I see him now,” Izuki replied. Turning to Akashi, he asked, “What’s his name?”

“His name’s Kuroko Tetsuya, but be careful, he’s wary of strangers,” The redhead warned.

“I see,” Kiyoshi answered. Looking at the little boy, he offered, “Do you want to play with us?”

Kuroko only blinked at the strange man, then looked up at Akashi in a confused manner.

“Do you want to play with the ball Tetsuya?” Akashi questioned gently.

“Ball!” The bluenette repeated happily.

The redhead sighed out a laugh before he addressed the three men, “It seems Tetsuya is interested.”

“Great. I even have a few spares, so he can practice,” Kiyoshi grinned.

“Let’s go one on one, Aomine,” Kagami challenged enthusiastically while he ran to the courts.

“The only one who can beat me is me,” Aomine retorted as he raced the man.

“They won’t ever grow up will they,” Momoi sighed tiredly.

Himuro nodded in agreement, “Well, it’s not a bad thing.”

“Let’s go!” Takao encouraged before following the duo. It wasn’t long before everyone walked to the courts.

Akashi crouched down on the court, setting the boy onto the floor. Letting the basketball bounced away, the redhead managed to successfully distract Kuroko as the bluenette crawled to catch the ball. Standing back up, Akashi turned to Kise before dragging the poor blond into the public restroom, “Let’s go have our talk.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Edit 5/5/15: I have the outline for Ch.9, so I at least won't have writer's block for that chapter, but Finals are coming up soon and all these graduating ceremonies, so I don't know if I can update this month either, but hopefully, I'll write another chapter soon Q.Q Thank you for waiting.


	6. Basketball

The sun was starting to descend slowly down the sky by the time Akashi exited the bathroom, thoroughly satisfied with his lecture. Kise followed after him, yet in less than five minutes, he had been reduced into a walking corpse. 

They returned to witness a mini-game consisting of Izuki, Hyuuga, and Kiyoshi against Midorima, Takao, and Murasakibara. On the adjacent empty court, Kagami and Aomine were crouching near Kuroko who tried tapping the basketball in a sad attempt to dribble. Himuro and Momoi were sitting on the nearest bench watching the three. 

“Ugh,” Aomine groaned in frustration. “You suck at this, Tetsu. Here, let me show you.”

He reached out in order to take the ball from Kuroko, but the latter managed to roll the basketball away from the panther’s grasp. “Meow!”

Aomine’s eye twitched in annoyance. “Why you little-”

“You two seem to be having fun there,” Akashi interrupted, successfully blocking out the ganguro’s inappropriate curses. Akashi did not want Kuroko to pick up his foul language; after all, he was still learning.

“Mama!” Upon hearing the redhead speak, Kuroko happily stretched out his arms, to which Akashi picked him up and held him. 

“Thank god, I was getting tired of babysitting him,” Aomine complained. Standing up, he started to stretch his arms and neck. 

“I’m surprised that he was fairly comfortable with you two,” Akashi commented as he bent down in order to let Kuroko pick up the basketball by his feet. 

“Now that you mentioned it,” Kagami thought aloud. “He didn’t freak out like before.”

“Eh, maybe it’s because I’m a panther hybrid,” Aomine shrugged his reply. “He probably thought I was his long lost brother or something.”

“Then why didn’t he freak out with me?” Kagami returned.

“Heh,” Aomine smirked playfully. “He probably thought you were a tiger.”

Himuro joined in with the teasing. “Plus, you’re name is ‘Taiga’, Taiga.”

“You do resemble one too Kagami-kun,” Momoi agreed. 

Annoyed, Kagami complained, “Oi! My name doesn’t have anything to do with this!”

Aomine shrugged before addressing Kagami, “Oi, let’s go play. One on one?”

“You’re on!” Kagami accepted. 

“Ne, how about you guys join us in our game?” Kiyoshi interrupted. He had paused their game the moment he saw Akashi and Kise returning. Besides, a game with more players would be a lot more fun.

“Sure, why not?” Aomine agreed, and Kagami shrugged in consent. 

“Alright~, Kagami, why don’t you join our team. Then Aomine could join Midorima’s team-”

“Wait! I’m out,” Takao raised his hand as he surrendered his place. “I’m beat.”

“I don’t think I can join either…” Kise replied weakly. The talk earlier had really taken its toll on the blond. 

“I’ll join their team,” Himuro offered. “It’ll give me a chance to play against Taiga.”

“Hah, bring it, Tatsuya,” Kagami accepted before he hurriedly took the ball from Kiyoshi and ran to make a dunk.

But, after a few dribbles, the ball was replaced with empty air and was replaced by the sound of the net. Aomine smirked as he made a dunk. “Don’t forget about me.”

Not a moment later, Aomine and Kagami started playing against each other, and soon, the others also joined. Kiyoshi stayed back and turned to Akashi, “Do you want to join too?”

“No, it’s alright. I’ll be watching over Tetsuya,” The redhead replied. The brunette nodded his head to acknowledge his answer.

“Ne, you guys have been playing for a while. Do you want me to get you some drinks?” Momoi asked. 

“Sure, thanks,” Kiyoshi thanked her as he saw Hyuuga trying to shoot a three pointer, only to have Murasakibara block it. 

“Will you be needing any help Satsuki?” Akashi asked the pink haired woman.

“Hm… I guess it’ll make the trip a lot faster,” She reasoned before accepting the offer. “Thanks, Akashi-kun.”

“I’ll stay with Tet-chan and watch over him,” Takao offered cheerfully. 

“Ah, thank you Kazunari,” Akashi thanked the hawk hybrid. He looked down at Kuroko, who was sleeping with the ball in his arms. “Tetsuya?”

“.... uh?” Kuroko rubbed his eyes in order to draw away all of his drowsiness. He turned to look up at the redhead, titling his head curiously. “Mama?”

Akashi’s eyes visibly softened as he told the boy, “I’m going to help Satsuki buy some drinks okay? Do you want to drink anything?”

“Vanilla shakey?” The bluenette asked hopefully. 

Akashi smiled before kissing the bluenette’s forehead, earning an ‘aw’ from Takao and Momoi. “Alright, I’ll get you a vanilla shake. Kazunari and Ryouta are going to watch over you okay?”

Kuroko blinked before turning around, attempting to find the persons his mama was referring to. Takao stepped up closer towards the bluenette, smiling as always, “Hello Tet-chan. My name’s Takao Kazunari, and I’m the one who’s going to look after you.”

“....” The bluenette furrowed his eyebrows as he adorably tilted his head. After a while, he pointed at Takao before determinedly saying, “Taco!”

Momoi was trying to hide her laughter, while Akashi was humored by Kuroko’s pronunciation of Takao’s name. After a few seconds, Akashi coughed in order to get the Takao’s attention before transferring Kuroko from his hands to the hawk. Kuroko, who was now in Takao’s arms, looked at Akashi with wide almost tearful eyes. “Mama?”

Akashi ruffled the bluenette’s hair, “Don’t worry, I’ll come back, but until then, stay with Kazunari and Ryouta, okay?”

“... O-kay…” Kuroko answered with a slight pout. 

“Alright, be good okay, Tetsuya?” Akashi saw the bluenette nod before he left. 

“Bye-bye Mama!” Kuroko yelled as he waved, earning a small smile on Akashi’s face.

After Akashi had walked a certain distance away from them, Takao cheerfully chirped, “Alright! Let’s go sit over there with Ki-chan!”

“Mew…” 

Walking over to the bench, Takao sat near the opposite side Kise, who was half dead in the his seat. Seeing the blond, Kuroko immediately started to panic, squirming against the hawk’s hold. 

Surprised by Kuroko’s sudden struggle, Takao tried to restrain the bluenette. “Ne, what’s wrong Tet-chan?” 

The boy didn’t answer but instead, continued to twist and turn in the hawk’s hold. Kise noticed Takao’s difficulty in holding Kuroko and tried to help out. “What’s wrong Kuroko-ichi?”

But, that turned out to be the wrong move. Kuroko started crying the moment Kise scooted closer towards the two. Hearing the kitten’s cries, the others turned their attention toward Kuroko.

“Why is Kuro-chin crying?” Murasakibara asked, he tilted his head childishly. 

“I don’t know!” Takao answered. “He just started crying when I sat down!”

Kise rubbed circles in his back in an attempt to soothe him, but that ended up with the opposite result as Kuroko started to bawl even more. This caused Kise to become depressed, and due to his failed attempt, he wailed in exasperation, “Kuroko-ichi hates me!”

“... What if… he does?” Izuki stated. The others stared at him increduously. 

There was a pregnant pause before Midorima pondered the thought. “Now that you mention it, that does make sense.”

“Eh?” All of the attention was now directed towards the doctor. 

“I’ve noticed how Kuroko was always a bit more wary towards Kise than the rest of us,” Midorima noted. “In Maji Burger, it was only when Kise hugged Kuroko, that he cried and ran off.”

“That’s right,” Himuro added. “When Akashi was climbing down the tree, Kuroko started crying after Kise shouted.”

“Eh?! So Kuroko-ichi really does hate me!” Kise cried in exasperation. 

“Uwaaah!” Kuroko’s wails got louder after Kise’s comment, further supporting the theory.

“Shhh, it’s going to be alright Tet-chan,” Takao stood up from the bench and moved away, comforting the bluenette by rocking him up and down. 

It took only seconds for Kuroko to quiet down after Takao had walked a short distance away from Kise. It took even less for the bluenette to fall asleep, tired from the day’s events. They all sighed in relief, though Kise was once more depressed.

“Kuroko-ichi hates me…” His ears and tails drooped.

“But, it’s strange,” Himuro commented. “He can’t hate you for being a dog hybrid. After all, I’m a wolf hybrid. We’re technically cousins.”

“Oh well, we’ll figure it out later,” Aomine shrugged. “Let’s go back to the game.”

Not knowing what else to do, they resumed their game. Takao sat back down at the bench while Kise continued to sulk. 

Ten minutes had passed, and everything was going well. Aomine’s and Kagami’s team continuously tied, one of them scoring only to have the other score the next basket. Kuroko was still sleeping peacefully in Takao’s arms, while Kise, who was still somewhat depressed, watched the game. 

It would have been even more ideal if two people had returned from their trip.


	7. Stranger?

Two people were walking down the streets, a pink haired woman and a redheaded man. They proceeded to walk to a vending machine before looking at the available drinks being sold.

“Ne, Akashi-kun, what flavor should we buy everyone?” Momoi asked, her index finger on her chin in a thoughtful expression.

“I believe they’ll be fine with anything,” Akashi returned before he turned to look at the woman. “I go buy Tetsuya’s milkshake for now. I’ll help you carry the drinks after you buy them.”

“Okay, thanks!"

And soon, the redhead left, leaving Momoi alone as she continued to purchase the beverages. Unfortunately, she didn’t notice the staggering figure in the alleyway until it was too late. It was a man in his late forties, who had a rough stubble and wore threadbare clothing.

“Whatcha *hic* doin’ here all *hic* alon’ babe~?” The man slurred, reeking of alcohol and vomit.

Her eyes widened at her impending predicament as she bit her lip nervously. Maybe, if she played it off, he would leave.

Smiling innocently, she returned an answer, though it couldn’t hide the slight tremor it contained. “Hello, I’m just buying some drinks for my boyfriend.”

That was a lie but a necessary one.

Men like these were relentless when picking up women, stooping so low that they would continue harassing young girls despite blatant disinterest in them. Seeing women as only decorations, inferior beings, obedient sex toys, it was only with the mention of having a boyfriend that these type of men would back off but not because they respected that the victim was not interested in cheating. No, it was because she belonged to another man, that these disgusting misogynists would surrender; they respected the other man, not her.

And apparently, this lie that she told was working. The man hesitated, his face contorting into confusion: should he continue?

Momoi mentally sighed in relief, but it wasn’t over, not yet. She silently prayed for Akashi or someone to intervene and help her, but after scanning the area, the place was inconveniently void of people.

A bead of sweat traveled down her neck. Where is Akashi-kun?

As if sensing her fear, the man continued to advance, apparently forgetting the information she previously told him. “Who ya *hic* waitin’ *hic* for baaabe~?”

“I’m just waiting for my boyfriend,” She replied quickly, nearly screaming her reply.

“Whatsa bad... boy-friend, we should hang *hic* out togetheer *hic*” At this point, the drunkard was nearly a meter away from her. “I *hic* can gives yah a *hic* time, ya’ know?”

His beady red eyes, the smell of booze and marijuana, everything about the man unsettled her. She took a step back, but even then, she knew that it would fix nothing.

“You’re noisy, shut up.”

It was a gruff voice, but the new presence was enough for Momoi to sigh out in relief. The newcomer sat up from a nearby bench. Momoi assumed that he was trying to take a nap but was disturbed by the intoxicated man.

Surprisingly, her savior wasn’t a man but a hybrid, and by the looks of it, he was most likely a wolf or some other large dog breed. He sported light ash grey hair that was untamed, his eyes the same color, and muscular body.

The drunkard whipped his head into the direction of the voice, squinting as his vision blurred. Pissed off with the interruption, the man yelled, “Wha’du want huh?!”

Annoyed by the man’s tone, the hybrid stood up, his height easily hovering over him. “You want me to shut you up myself?”

Wide eyed, the man, despite how high he was, backed off; he subconsciously sensed that he would instantly lose if the conversation turned into a brawl. As he retreated in slow small steps, the hybrid advanced towards him.

“I- I’ll leave!” And soon enough, he ran away, leaving Momoi alone with another stranger.

The hybrid turned his attention to the pinkette, inspecting her entire figure; though, she felt utterly disgusted when she caught his gaze lingering on her bosom, but he saved her, so she wouldn’t let this affect her as much.

“Um, thank you….”

“Haizaki.”

She smiled before bowing in gratitude, “Thanks Haizaki-kun!”

“Tsk, how troublesome,” He commented, but Momoi knew better than to be irritated at him.

She saw his ears twitch as they heard footsteps coming. Akashi appeared in less than a minute, obviously surprised by the stranger’s presence.

“Who is this Satsuki?” The redhead asked. For some unknown reason, Akashi disliked the man the moment his eyes were set upon the figure.

Haizaki widened his eyes for a brief moment as the redhead entered before he returned to his original irritated expression. It was apparent that he and Akashi shared mutual dislike towards each other, though, for Haizaki, his reasoning was completely different.

Momoi, who felt the atmosphere tense, tried to lessen it by introducing the man. “This is Haizaki-kun. He just helped me out a few seconds ago.”

“I see,” Akashi paused, observing the hybrid once more, before holding his hand out. “Thank you for helping my friend. I hope she didn’t cause you too much trouble.”

Haizaki eyed the offered handshake in slight annoyance before his own hand headed towards Akashi’s. But, what surprised both the redhead and the pinkette was that, instead of holding the redhead’s hand, he brushed pasted it.   

In only a few seconds, Haizaki held Akashi’s collar in a way that the redhead’s feet was almost off the floor. He leaned in and, to Akashi’s curiosity and annoyance, took a few quick sniffs of the redhead’s clothing, stopping only when his thoughts were confirmed.

He abruptly released his grip on Akashi’s collar, to which the redhead readjusted his shirt.

“Sorry about that. I thought I smelled a familiar scent on you,” Haizaki offered his own hand in return, smiling. “Let’s forget that this ever happened.”

He ignored the hybrid’s “peace offering”, already aware that the gesture was only for formalities, and even then, he was wary of what the hybrid would do if he offered his hand once more.

Noticing that the redhead wouldn’t accept his handshake, he let his hand drop to his side.

“I hope I can meet your friend. He smells really similar to someone I know,” The hybrid grinned once more before he turned away, leaving the two alone in front of the vending machine.

Akashi narrowed his eyes in suspicion; underneath his “friendly” chatter, it hid questionative motives. And what made it worse was that Akashi had almost no clue as to what it was, almost. That hybrid was able to smell Kuroko’s scent on him, that was certain, but what he wanted to know the most was what their relationship was.

Staring at the hybrid’s back until it faded into the background, the redhead eventually turned to his companion, “Are you alright?”

“Hmph,” Momoi nodded. She smiled apologetically. “Sorry for all of the trouble Akashi-kun. Let’s go back; it’s getting late.”

“So it has,” Akashi agreed. They collected all of the cans and placed them into a bag, allowing leverage to carry the beverages.

It didn’t take more than 10 minutes before they had reached the park. Upon entering the courts, they saw Kise in an arm lock, courtesy of Aomine, while Kagami was trying to pull the panther off of the dog; the others were mainly enjoying the scene, with the exception of Kuroko, who was sleeping peacefully in Takao’s arms.

“It seems you did well in watching over him.”

Everyone’s attention immediately turned to the duo who just arrived. Aomine, who still held Kise in an arm lock, visibly scowled, “What took you guys so long?”

“We had some technical difficulties,” Momoi laughed nervously before holding out a bag. “Are you guys still thirsty?”

“Hell yeah!” Aomine jumped at the opportunity, immediately appearing before Momoi. Soon, the others joined in, claiming their own drinks.

“Thanks,” said Kiyoshi as he took a can from her.

“Ne, pass me one, Momoi-chan!” Takao waved one free hand, the other busy with holding a sleeping Kuroko in place.

“Here,” Akashi held out a plastic cup to Takao. “Hold this while I hold him.”

Taking the cup, Takao lifted the bluenette into the redhead’s arms. Immediately, Kuroko instinctively wrapped his arms around Akashi’s neck, tightening after the redhead firmly held the boy. Kuroko nuzzled against the man’s collar, taking in a deep breath, all before he violently jerked awake.

Noticing his sudden awakening, Akashi thought it was because Takao gave him to the redhead. “It’s alright Tetsuya. I’m here.”

But, it was as if the boy couldn’t hear him. His pupils dilated from fear, ears flattened against his head, as he looked around frantically. Shaking uncontrollably, Kuroko’s breathing started to become quick shallow breaths as he became hyper sensitive of his surroundings.

Akashi became aware that this was one of Kuroko’s more serious panic attacks. Encasing the boy into a tighter embrace, the redhead tried to calm the bluenette down. Unfortunately, everything started to spiral down.

“WAAAAAAH!!!! Waaaaa… ah!!!”

Tears streamed down his face as Kuroko started clawing in any place he could, trying to escape the redhead’s firm hold. Everyone started swarming towards them, some at a distance to help catch the bluenette if he did manage to escape, while others tried to pin down the boy’s wrists and feet.

Scratches littered Akashi’s face and chest, but it didn’t deter him from calming down the boy. He continued to hold Kuroko, earning him several kicks and cuts.

Kise, who was one of the few trying to restrain Kuroko, smelled foreign scent emitted from Akashi. At first, he narrowed his eyes in concentration, unable to pinpoint where it was, but after a moment, his eyes widened in realization.

“Akashi-ichi, take off your shirt!” The blond ordered.

“Now is not the time for him to strip Kise!” Kagami barked in irritation.

Kise ignored Kagami’s comment, persistent in his theory. “Just do it!”

Sensing the seriousness in the blond’s order, Akashi quickly discarded his shirt. In only a few seconds, Kuroko’s endurance quickly deteriorated, leaving a tired and scared kitten in its place.

Kuroko looked up at Akashi, his eyes glistening with tears. Sniffing, the bluenette wrapped his arms around the man’s neck, fisting a handful of hair as he desperately whimpered.

“... Mama…”

Akashi instinctively embraced the boy in a warm hold, cooing soothing words into his ear. Rubbing his small back in comforting gestures, Kuroko’s shivering figure slowly relaxed, and in moments later, the bluenette nuzzled his face against the redhead affectionately.

Everyone else was watching the duo, wary that the bluenette may be set off by another unknown reason.

“Maybe Aka-chin got something on his shirt, and that’s why Kuro-chin didn’t want to be near you,” Murasakibara commented.

It took Akashi five full minutes to respond. The possibility wasn’t exactly improbable, but the only thing that could have triggered Kuroko would have been Haizaki; he was the only person to have “touched” his shirt. The more he thought about it, a frown continue to grow.

It would make so much sense if Kuroko had met Haizaki before. After all, the dog hybrid wasn’t exactly subtle about finding the bluenette’s scent. And, with Kuroko’s behavior, he was fairly certain that Haizaki was at least partially responsible for the abuse Kuroko had received.If he had met the hybrid on better terms, then maybe he would have thought it was too soon to convict him.

Well, that didn’t matter anymore. Akashi swore that if he saw the hybrid again, he will surely pay.

“That may be a possibility Atsushi,” The redhead responded after a while. He still didn’t want to voice his findings in case he was wrong, which was highly unlikely but still possible.

Kuroko shifted in Akashi’s arms and were now looking around, ears flickering curiously and tail swaying. He looked at Takao before he reached out one of his hands, the other still tightly secured around Akashi. “... Shakey…”

“Ah, Tet-chan, do you want this?” Takao held out the drink.

The boy immediately took the milkshake into his hands before happily taking quick sips of the beverage. Everyone instantly relaxed, knowing that the bluenette won’t be having another panic attack anytime soon.

“Shall we go back? It’s already getting dark,” Akashi stated as he looked up. The sun was already nearing the horizon, allowing the shadows to cast even longer shades.

“Aww, I don’t want to be separated from my Tetsu-kun yet!” Momoi cried, obviously taking a liking to the boy.

“I can’t believe it’s this late. Today was just so fun,” Takao commented.

“Well, I’ll be going home. It’s been a long day,” Aomine yawned as he tried to walk away. Tried. Someone grabbed the end of his muscle shirt, causing him to turn around to see a small pale hand holding onto his shirt.

“... stay?”

It took a massive amount of effort in order to have any self control. It definitely did not help when Kuroko stared at him with his slightly teary eyes and pouting face. It would have taken a heart of stone, no ice, to even look away.

With a heavy sigh, Aomine surrendered to the boy’s pleas. “Alright, alright. I’ll stay.”

A smile immediately graced his lips as the boy cheered in delight. “Yaay~!”

Seeing how happy Kuroko was, Akashi was definitely going to keep him that way. “Since Tetsuya wants you to stay, why don’t we all stay at my house for the night?”

“Are you sure about this?” Himuro asked. “We wouldn’t want to impose on your hospitality.”

“If Tetsuya doesn’t mind, then I think it’ll be fine,” Akashi replied as he stood up. Kuroko readjusted his position so that he would be able to hold onto the redhead while still sipping his drink. “Well then, shall we go now?”

Leading the way back to his mansion, they left together. On the way there, Kuroko fell asleep, though Akashi and the other didn’t mind one bit. But in the corner of his eye, he saw someone lagged behind, and once he turned around, he noticed that Kise was a few feet behind the rest of the group.

“What’s wrong Ryouta?”

The blond looked up, and although it was shown for a brief second, Kise blinked in surprise. It only took the hybrid less than a second to resume his usual bubbly personality.

“What do you mean Akashi-ichi?” Kise asked back, smiling as if nothing was wrong.

Suspicious of the latter’s response, Akashi decided to challenge the blond’s reply.

“You were very quiet for a while, are you sure there’s nothing wrong?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing Akashi-ichi… I just thought that…” Kise was silent for a second, but a moment later, he shook his head before he smiled back. “No, it’s nothing! Let’s hurry back. Kuroko-ichi’s looks really tired.”

“Considering how much he played today, he should be,” The redhead answered.

“Today was fun!” Kise laughed before he ran ahead of Akashi and pounced on Aomine, which earned him several irritated remarks.

Akashi continued to observe the dog hyrbid. It was foolish to think that he would not notice. Nothing could pass by the redhead, especially when it was as obvious as Kise’s uncharacteristic actions.

He knew that Kise had at least met Haizaki, otherwise how else would he have been able to recognize the scent. And, judging by the blond’s reaction, they were not on good terms.

Although he disapproved of the fact that Kise tried to hide something, he would not push the blond if he was unwilling to depart with this secret.

Kise smiled as he wrapped his arms around Aomine and Kagami playfully. Yet, despite his bubbly aura, there was something that weighed his mind down

_I thought I smelled his scent..._


	8. Omake: Idiots Are NOT Allowed in the Kitchen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is suppose to take place after the whole story ended, but I'm still figuring out the plot, so I decided to upload this first. It took a long time, but I finally finished. Thank you for being patient and reading this. I hope you enjoy it.

It was a Saturday when Kise and Aomine decided to drop by Akashi’s home. Although the redhead invited them in, the ringing of several phones called to his attention. With a heavy sigh, Akashi looked at the two.

“It seems I’ll be too busy to talk,” Akashi picked up a phone, pausing to listening to the person on the other line. Taking out a pen and paper, Akashi wrote down some notes before sliding the notepad for the hybrids to read.

_I’m going to need to handle some business. Can I trust you two to take care of Tetsuya?_

His words were answered with a very enthusiastic thumbs up from the dog, and a somewhat reassuring nod from the panther.

“Don’t worry Akashicchi! We’ll take good care of him,” Kise whispered loudly while Aomine only shrugged.

Akashi gave them one last hard look before writing, _He’s taking a nap in the living room. I’ll be in my office if you need me._

There was another nod from the blond before the two hybrids left to find the bluenette. At first, they couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary other than a pile of pillows and blankets, but then with a sudden twitch, the mountain came tumbling down, revealing two sky blue eyes that blinked away the sleep. “Mew?”  

“Akashi asked us to look after you,” Aomine duly explained, babysitting wasn’t exactly an exciting thought.

“Eh?” Kise looked at the panther questioningly. “You can understand Kurokocchi?”

“Like every fifth word or something,” Blue orbs stared at each other in a small staring contest, only to be stopped when Kuroko mewed once more.

“Then, can Kurokocchi understand us?” Kise asked as he started rubbing the bluenette’s hair. “We’re not exactly speaking the same thing right?”

“He’s just speaking baby talk,” Aomine scratched his head as he explained, though Kise still looked confused. “You know, human babies don’t really speak. They just imitate sounds until they learn how to “speak”. Same thing with Tetsu and me.”

“Oh…” The blond was still slightly confused, but he accepted it before picking up the boy in his arms. Cooing, “Ne, Kurokocchi, what do you want to do?”

Tilting his head, Kuroko blankly stared at blond. There was a small pause before the bluenette asked hesitantly. “... Vanilla?”

Kise hummed as he thought, “I don’t have anything vanilla flavored, do you Aominecchi?”

“Got nothing,” Dismissing the question with a wave of his hand, Aomine layed on the couch.

“Want to check the kitchen?” Kuroko squirmed out of the blond’s hold and returned to the comfort of the sofa.

“Sure, why not?” Aomine stood up with the baby close behind him. “It’s close to lunch anyway.”

Needless to say, it should have been expected that Akashi would have the finest utensils and tools, though Kise and Aomine were left gaping at the large pristine kitchen.

Everything irradiated expensive, the two hybrids didn’t even want to look at it, lest they magically break something. Kuroko seemed just as charmed, but less inclined to the cautious attitude of the two as he traced the smooth surface of the dining table. In a short lived burst of innocent curiosity, the tips of small pale hands nearly grabbed the wooden handle of a knife, much to the panic of Kise and Aomine.

“Woah! Don’t touch that!” The panther quickly scooped the child up in his arms, who only blinked in surprised.

“Kurokocchi, you shouldn’t sharp things,” Kise lectured with an uncharacteristic maturity. “You could have hurt yourself.”

“Mew…” Light blue ears adorably flopped downwards as he looked down in shame, not being able to understand what the Labrador hybrid said, but knowing enough to understand that he had done something wrong.

“It’s alright Tetsu,” Aomine patted Kuroko’s head in an attempt to cheer him up, but it soon ended with a sheer look of terror hidden behind a nervous laugh, the panther catching the kitten eyeing the knife once more. A desperate look at Kise as he whispered adamantly, “We can’t leave him in here.”

“Wait a second,” The blond hurriedly escaped from the kitchen before reemerging with thin books, paper, and crayons, waving them around in triumph. “Tada! Picture books, short stories, and drawing paper!”

“Great idea,” Sitting Kuroko down on a tall stool, the bluenette’s attention was soon drawn to the bright colours and simple lineart. Mindlessly taking a deep green crayon, he messily coloured in the empty spaces, occasionally changing pencils when he thought his picture needed a little more personality.

“Okay, so we got that covered,” Aomine stared in approval of Kuroko’s passive state. “What are we going to do anyway?”

“Let’s try cooking lunch! I bet it’ll be fun,” Kise suggested, supported by the growling of the kitten’s stomach, before walking in front of the stove, turning it on. Honestly, how badly can things go.

~~~~~

If there was a way to turn back time, Kise would have used it to slap himself and then prevent the past two horrifying hours from ever happening. Exhausted is only the gist of how he felt.

The state of the kitchen was more or less in chaos. Pans lay haphazardly on a still hot stove, meat and tuna was splattered all over and singed to an inedible crisp. Bread turned into charcoal despite the fact that they used a toaster, and lettuce was diced in such small particles that it looked more like slime than food. And to top off their disaster, they decided to make a vanilla shake, leaving milk to coat the floor while ice cream clung to the ceiling, escaping in slow gooey drops

It’s during this time that he remembers why Kagami bans him from taking even one step near the kitchen. And he was a fool to think Aomine was better at cooking than he was; after all, all the cooking skills the panther learned came from Momoi.

A look to the side, he could see Aomine, stained white and sticky as he collapsed on a dining chair, Kuroko staring at the latter in concern. Kise gave him his own pitiful glance, grimacing when he remembered how the unfortunate hybrid had mistaken baking soda as flour and vinegar with water; how the panther had managed to not notice the stench was just as questionable as to what he was trying to make.

Kuroko was well behaved during their kitchen catastrophe, though he did, at several intervals, walk into the kitchen, only to be immediately taken back to his seat. Kise forgot why the kitten continuously snuck in, but that thought dismissed fairly quickly as he focused on the chaos in from of him, leaving a big sigh.

He felt a tug on the hem of his shirt, turning down to see the little bluenette staring at him with pleading eyes. “Chew?”

His eyes soften, “Sorry Kurokocchi, but we didn’t make anything yet.” Nothing edible at least.

“Mew…” There was a small pout.

“We’ll make something after we clean up,” He quickly finished, sighing in relief when the boy quickly brightened up.

~~~~~

The task was easier said than done. Nearly two hours had passed, and had it been only Kise who had cleaned, it would have most likely taken the entire day. The blond would scrub the floors and stove, and Kuroko joined, doing his best to wipe the tables clean though his height prevented him from doing much. Aomine, joining the duo around thirty minutes later, started scrubbing off the residue from the ceiling.

In the end, they had cleaned up the disaster, though there was a little stain on the ceiling that the panther prayed to be unnoticeable to the redhead.

Trudging back heavy feet, Kise and Aomine collapsed on the sofa. Kuroko was also following the duo, meowing several times in an attempt to speak, but the two hybrids ignored him, their hearing disabled from their drained bodies, leaving the kitten to become frustrated in silence.

“Never again,” The blond groaned. Did his arms fall off? No, it still burned from his previous activity.

“Why did we ever think this was an okay idea?” The navy haired joined, cracking his sore back.

Stillness ensued as the two mentally agreed to never try cooking again.

Looking at the two hybrids, the bluenette tried once more, “Mew?”

“Not now, Kurokocchi,” Kise brushed off once more.

“Just let us sleep for a bit,” Aomine grumbled, and then silence once more.

Even before the tingling in his chest, there was a pain in his stomach. A heavy cloak draped his mind while his body started to feel hot. There was a sudden surge of energy, energy he could not let out by simply walking around or even kicking a toy. He wanted their attention, and there was only one sure way that he would get it.

In the beginning, he still had control. It only started as a single hiccup, the only warning, other than his teary vision, of what was about to happen.

There was no reaction from the duo, and that was the tipping point. He couldn’t control it any longer.

“Hic… hic…” Kise started to look up in a panic, but he was too late. It had started. “Waaaah!”

“Oh no!” The blond rushed to pick up the bawling boy in his arms, rocking him back and forth in an attempt to temporarily soothe him.

“Why’s he crying now?” Aomine stared at the two with tired eyes.

“We were suppose to feed him four hours ago!” Kise shouted in exasperation. What can kitten hybrids eat? Do they only drink liquids? Are they allergic to anything? All of the questions swarmed his mind as he rushed to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator.

Looking up and down frantically, he searched. Fruits? But wait, cats are carnivores. Bread? No, he doesn’t like it. Tuna? But cooking was out of the question!

Milk was the best bet, but all of the contents had spilled earlier that afternoon.

Distressed while carrying a hungry baby, Kise called out, “Aominecchi help me!”

“Let him drink soda or something,” The panther appeared behind him. “We’ll find something else to give him.”

“Are you sure about that?” It was a very questionable choice, but Kise complied through ignorance and exhaustion. After all, Aomine is the closest to being a domestic cat.

Filling up a bottle with the carbonated drink, he fed Kuroko the bottle. Seeing the latter suckling the contents alleviated a sigh of relief, though that was short lived.  

Kuroko was unable to stop despite the burning sensation that accompanied each sip. He was hungry and anything would do. It took only seconds for him to finish, leaving Kise to praise him when he quieted down. But then he blinked.

His stomach didn’t feel right, and he did not like this sensation one bit. He whined a bit in an attempt to hint his discomfort to the blond, but Kise did not hear. Something was growing in his his belly, threatening his throat like it was going to pop. The pressure began to build up, until finally, Kuroko started blubbering from the uncomfortable feeling.

“Again? What’s wrong, Kurokocchi?” Kise tiredly asked and turned towards Aomine. “Aominecchi!”

“I don’t know what to do!” He protested before taking the boy into his arms. Nothing would work. Kuroko’s cries continued to increase in volume every second that passed. It didn’t take long for Akashi to enter the room and take the bluenette from the navy haired panther’s arms.

“What happened to Tetsuya?” Akashi demanded as he stared at the two with a fearsome aura.

“We don’t know!” The two hybrids shouted in exasperation. “He just started to cry after we fed him!”

Rocking the bluenette up and down, Akashi repositioned the bawling boy into a position where their chests were touching and their faces facing in opposite directions. “What did you feed him?”

The two hybrids looked at each other before guiltily looking away. There was a long pause. “.... Soda…”

A vein popped in the redhead’s forehead, and his eye twitched in annoyance and anger. In a tone seething with a maleficent aura, he called their names threateningly, “Daiki…. Ryota…. we’ll talk later.”

The two could only gulp in fear as Akashi turned his attention towards the bluenette, concerned about his condition. He patted Kuroko’s back as rocked the boy up and down. His crying had stopped, and not a moment later, an explosive belch escaped. Kise and Aomine eyed each other in surprise.

“Tetsuya has a hard time finding a way to pass gas. Therefore, carbonated drinks cause him a lot of discomfort,” Akashi informed. “I believe it was common sense to not let a toddler drink soda, but it seems I forgot that you two lack that.”

After releasing a few more burps, Kuroko rubbed his face against the redhead’s in a gesture of thanks. “Mew.”

“Feeling better now?” A quick nod from the bluenette.

“Chew?” Kuroko tilted his head, a silent plea for the food he lacked.

“You two didn’t feed him?” Akashi glared dangerously at the two, his foot tapping expectantly.

“We tried!” Kise attempted to explain.

“It’s just that we’re not good cooks,” Aomine finished, the two hybrids looking away sheepishly.

His red and gold eyes bore holes in the duo’s head, but they softened when Kuroko mewed, still asking from the needed nourishment.

“I’ll be taking Tetsuya out to eat lunch,” There was a sigh of relief as Kise and Aomine followed the redhead to the door.

Kneeling down, he dressed Kuroko with a heavy coat before putting his own. “I’ll be back in around an hour. Don’t mess with anything, and don’t think I don’t know what you two did in the kitchen.”

“How?!” Kise and Aomine gawked. Akashi pointed upwards, causing Aomine to mentally curse.

“Don’t worry, we’ll talk about that when I get back.”

Despite the smile on his face, Aomine and Kise shivered in fear.

 


End file.
